


Thistle

by Frozenleaf



Series: Gladmoon Day 2019 [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Gladmoon Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-29 13:26:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18223733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frozenleaf/pseuds/Frozenleaf
Summary: Sometimes kindness comes from the most unexpected of places.





	Thistle

It  _hurt._

She winced as Gladion gently prodded her left ankle. Throbbing pain shot through her leg, but Moon kept her eyes forward. She wasn't going to cry just because of this. And especially not in front of Gladion, of all people.

Today was not turning out the way Moon expected it to.

Wela Volcano Park was treacherous terrain, but Moon had been careful- up until a Salandit attacked her from behind. She remembered crashing over the rocks and landing in the dirt, her pokeballs and her bag scattered away from her reach. The pokemon had eyed her with a nasty grin, but before Moon could reach for Dartrix's pokeball, something else obscured her vision.

It was Type: Null. At the sight of it, standing immovably in front of her, the Salandit had flashed one last sneer before it disappeared back into the bush.

Then Null's trainer appeared.

Gladion hadn't said anything much. No greeting, no surprise. His eyes had merely flicked over to her in askance, before he knelt by her side and began assessing her wounds.

"I'm fine," she muttered gruffly as he continued to prod her leg. "Just a sprain, I think."

He shot her a deadpan look. "You're lucky it's just a sprain," he muttered. "At any rate, how do you intend to get down now?"

Moon bit her lip. She had started her descent hours ago, and while she had made good progress, she had expected to reach the bottom of the mountain just before sunset. With a sprained ankle and the rocky terrain, though, that plan went out the window. And as she was acutely aware, the wild pokemon here could be... unpredictable.

Still... "I'll manage," she mumbled. Bracing herself against the rocky cliff walls, she tried to rise, only to stagger-

Long arms caught her mid-fall, pulling her upright. Surprised, Moon stared at her savior in shock. Gladion's lips were pursed, his green eyes scrutinizing her. He looked as hard, and uncompromising as usual. But then with a sigh, his features shifted.

He nodded towards Null. "Get on."

"Wha-" She began, only to be cut off by his cold glare.

"We're only getting you off the mountain. After that you can get to the Pokemon Center yourself."

"That's-" Moon swallowed her surprise and managed a smile through the pain. "Thank you."

Gladion stiffened, but he said nothing more. Instead, he gestured Null over and silently helped her atop its back, before stopping to pick up and hand her her belongings. Then, without another word, they set off.

Moon clutched Dartrix's pokeball close, keeping her eye on Gladion's every action. She hadn't spent that much time with him, but from first glance he was a bit of a mystery. He walked silently, back stiff and eyes forward. Yet...

"Do you have a water pokemon?" Gladion asked gruffly, interrupting the silence between them unexpectedly.

"Huh?" Moon blinked. "No, why?"

"I was going to suggest that you could put ice on that." He nodded towards her leg. "Too bad, you're gonna have to deal with it."

"It'll be alright," Moon said. The conversation started to drift back into awkward silence, when she said, "You're... nice, aren't you?"

Gladion's eyes were cold as they settled on her. "Whatever gave you that impression?"

Moon chewed her lip, rubbing a thumb over Dartrix's pokeball. "You're part of team Skull but... you haven't tried to steal my pokemon," she said at last. "And the way you treat Null- you're gentle with it." A small giggle escaped her when the pokemon turned to look at her, and she gave it a little pat. "It really likes you."

Gladion's eyes narrowed, but in the light of the evening sun, he looked warmer somehow. Less scary and menacing.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," he muttered.

"You kinda did." Moon grinned.

"Do you want me to leave you here?"

"You wouldn't," she replied. "What if another Salandit attacks me and I sprain my other leg?"

He snorted, and Moon caught him rolling his eyes. "If you can joke around I guess you aren't as hurt as I thought."

"So you  _are_ gonna leave defenseless little ol' me on top of this scary mountain?"

"Just... shut up." He glared at her, but there was no bite in his tone. Moon giggled again, and his shoulders sagged. "You're lucky you're injured."

"So that you don't toss me off this mountain?" She stared at him, eyes wide.

He glowered at her. "Are you always like this?"

"Not really," she replied. "I'm much quippier when my ankle isn't hurting."

He let out a soft groan. Moon chuckled.

The rest of the walk down wasn't as awkward as the start. Gladion didn't outwardly say anything, but she was aware of how he glanced at her every half hour or so. For her part, she tried her best to keep the atmosphere light, making silly comments when he started to look sullen once more, or talking to Null when Gladion was making a concerted effort to avoid conversation.

And maybe it was just her imagination, but his posture seemed less stiff by the time they reached the bottom of the volcano, his expression softer.

"This is as far as we go."

They stopped just at the outskirts of Royal Avenue. The noise and bustle of civilization was a vast change from the lonely wilderness of Wela, and Moon breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar sight of a Pokemon Center, just a short distance away.

"Here." With stunned surprise, Moon realized that Gladion was holding his hand out to her. His mouth was still pressed in a thin line, his eyes still cold and sharp.

But his hand was warm when she took it, and his fingers, closed around hers, were as gentle as when he held her on top of the mountain. Cautiously, he braced her as she descended from Null, watching her carefully as she shifted her weight onto her sprained ankle.

Moon breathed, glad to be on firm, even ground at last. "Thank you." She looked up at Gladion, a grin stretching across her face. "My knight in shining armor."

He glared at her, but his eyes weren't quite so cold, and a faint flush had spread over his cheeks. "You're insufferable," he muttered. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"Don't worry about me, mother." She clicked her tongue. "The ground's flat here."

Satisfied, Gladion turned to leave. Hand on Null's back, he started to guide the Pokemon down the path towards the forests when an urge seized her.

"Gladion!"

He paused, glancing at her over his shoulder. She grinned, cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "If you ever need my help- let me know, okay?"

She caught the roll of his eyes. The tilt of his head. The faintest trace of a smile.

He turned without response, abruptly leading Null down the road. Just as quick to disappear as he had appeared.

Moon sighed. Bracing herself, she began a slow walk towards the Pokemon Center. Yet, she couldn't keep the small smile off her face, the slightest skip in her step as she hummed a happy little song.

Today didn't turn out the way she expected it to, but it was the unexpected things that always made life interesting, Gladion included.

**Author's Note:**

> Done for day 3 of Gladmoon Day? Week? Is it even Gladmoon day when it's a week? Whatever. Prompt was Thistle (Nobility/Graciousness) which I tried to represent both in this fic so weeeeee


End file.
